Bitvavo vs Kraken Pro Comparison

In short: Bitvavo is one of the cheapest crypto exchanges for investors who trade in euros: 427 coins, all directly against the euro, trading from 0.15% as a maker and 0.25% as a taker, free SEPA deposits. The exchange holds a MiCA licence from the Dutch regulator AFM and serves customers across the EU, including Germany. A savings plan, staking and leveraged trading of up to ten times complement spot trading.

Is Bitvavo safe and licensed in the EU?

Yes, Bitvavo may serve customers across the EU. Bitvavo B.V., based in Amsterdam, has been authorised as a crypto-asset service provider under Article 63 MiCA since 26 June 2025, licensed by the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). Through the EU passport the licence covers 30 EEA countries, including Germany, France and Spain (ESMA register, file of 30 October 2026). It covers custody, operating the trading platform and transfers of crypto assets. Customers resident in Germany have their own country annex to the user agreement (version of 15 July 2025). In early 2024 Bitvavo temporarily stopped onboarding new customers from Germany; today the exchange lists Germany among its supported countries.

Custody and account guarantee: Bitvavo keeps most crypto assets offline in cold wallets with two custody providers, which according to the exchange are insured for up to $755 million; larger transfers require approval by several people. If a third party gains unauthorised access to your account and withdraws crypto, Bitvavo's account guarantee refunds up to €100,000 per incident, once per user. Transfers you send to scammers yourself are not covered (Bitvavo security page).

Euro balances, staking and lending: Bitvavo holds euros on your account as e-tokens in a separate e-token wallet. According to the user agreement it is not a deposit or investment account, and no statutory deposit guarantee applies. Staking and lending currently fall outside MiCA supervision, as Bitvavo states; lending is provided by the sister company Bitvavo Custody B.V.

What you can do yourself: turn on two-factor authentication, an anti-phishing code and a withdrawal address whitelist, keep larger amounts on your own hardware wallet and watch delisting dates. Bitvavo removes individual coins from trading, most recently Across Protocol on 27 October 2026, with Portal To Bitcoin (PTB) to follow on 6 November 2026.

Who is Bitvavo for?

Bitvavo suits investors in the EU who want to trade cheaply against the euro, deposit by SEPA and pick from a large range of coins without a detour via stablecoins; a savings plan and staking are included. If you want crypto, stocks and ETFs in one app, look at Bitpanda; for order-book trading with professional tools, Kraken Pro. An alternative with a listed parent company is Coinbase. All licensed providers are listed in our comparison of regulated crypto exchanges.

Kraken Pro is the separate trading interface from Kraken (pro.kraken.com and Pro mode in the mobile app) and is aimed at active traders. Unlike the standard platform with flat 1% fees, the maker/taker model applies here, starting at 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker and falling across 17 tiers to 0.00% maker and 0.05% taker. Since 9 July 2026 Kraken sets your tier by the best of three measures: 30-day spot volume, 30-day futures volume or assets on the platform. Anyone holding USD 20,000 at Kraken therefore trades in Tier 3 at 0.22% maker and 0.38% taker even without any turnover. Account, verification, and asset balances are shared between both interfaces.

The order set covers market, limit, stop-loss, take-profit, trailing stop, iceberg orders, and bracket/OCO combinations. Margin trading is offered with up to 5x leverage depending on the pair, with selected assets reaching 10x; for EEA customers, margin on fiat pairs is now limited to USD and EUR and funded in USDC and EURC. EEA customers trade futures and, since 26 October 2026, Bitcoin and Ether options on Kraken Pro from a separate derivatives account using the same wallet; the provider is Cyprus-based Payward Europe Digital Solutions (CY) Limited with a MiFID licence from CySEC, and options require an appropriateness assessment. The crypto services themselves are provided by Payward Europe Solutions Limited, authorised under MiCA by the Central Bank of Ireland since 25 June 2025 and passported to 30 EEA countries (ESMA register, file dated 30 October 2026). Charts, order book, and API access (REST and WebSocket v2) are described in user reviews as sufficient for active strategies; the learning curve compared to the standard interface is occasionally criticized.

Kraken Pro is considered particularly suitable for active traders who value pro order types, lower volume-based fees, and margin features. Those primarily looking for savings plans or simple spot investing will find a more fitting setup on the standard interface. This comparison does not constitute investment advice.